ACC Distinguished Awards Program

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Distinguished Awards were established to recognize outstanding individuals making contributions to the cardiovascular profession. Among these distinguished awards are early career distinguished awards, mid-to-late career distinguished awards and the honorable Master of the ACC (MACC) award.

Lifetime Achievement AwardAn individual who has had a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the field of cardiovascular disease and has served as a role model through service, basic or clinical research and teaching. Former College presidents are not eligible for this award.

Distinguished Fellowship AwardAn FACC who is well recognized for service to the College and whose activities are considered to qualify this person as a role model for others. Former College presidents are not eligible for this award.

Distinguished Scientist AwardAn FACC who has made major scientific contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field of cardiovascular disease. Three awards will be given in this category. One award will be given in each of the three domains: Basic, Clinical and Translational.

Distinguished Service AwardA physician, scientist or layperson who, by individual effort, has made profound contributions to medicine and/or the delivery of health care. Former College presidents are not eligible for this award.

Gifted Educator AwardAn FACC who has demonstrated innovative, outstanding teaching characteristics and compassionate qualities and because of these attributes has made major contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine at the local and/or regional level.

Distinguished Teacher AwardAn FACC who has demonstrated innovative, outstanding teaching characteristics and compassionate qualities and because of these attributes has made major contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine at the national and/or international level.

International Service AwardAn FACC who through his or her outstanding contributions to cardiovascular medicine and science has significantly enhanced cardiovascular care throughout the world. The award should recognize service and should not be tied to leadership in the international cardiovascular community.

Distinguished Associate AwardA non-physician member (Cardiac Care Associate, Associate of the American College of Cardiology or non-physician Fellow of the American College of Cardiology) whose outstanding contributions to College initiatives and the field of cardiology have encouraged and nurtured the ACC's team approach to cardiovascular care.

Distinguished Mentor Award*An FACC who during his/her lengthy career, has demonstrated a dedication to mentoring physicians and/or other members of the cardiac care team across a spectrum of professional activities and consequently has palpably shaped the careers of current and future leaders in cardiovascular medicine.

*NOTE: This Award requires the following in its nomination packet:

At least five (5) supporting letters should be written by those have been actually mentored by the nominee and should explain how their career has been directly influenced and shaped by the nominee.

Honorary Fellowship AwardA distinguished physician or scientist who is not an ACC member and who would not otherwise have routinely had an opportunity to pursue Fellowship in the College, but whose professional performance warrants recognition by the College.

Nominations Process
A nominating letter addressed to the Awards Committee, accompanied by a letter seconding the nomination and the nominee's curriculum vitae, must be received by the Business Operations Department of the ACC by September 24, 2018. The nominating letter should summarize the curriculum vitae, highlighting those accomplishments that are relevant to the award in order to be considered by the Awards Committee at its meeting this fall.

The entire nomination packet, including letters and curriculum vitae, may be sent by e-mail (preferable) to kroberts@acc.org or by mail to:

Each nomination may be accompanied by up to 10 letters of support, as described below:

No more than three letters from former or current trainees,

No more than three letters from colleagues or associates who work in the same institution or practice in the same community,

No more than four letters from Fellows of the ACC (FACCs) who do not fit into either of the two categories previously mentioned above, and

All letters must come from ACC members.

Supporting letters should identify specific examples of contributions made by the candidate which qualify him or her for the award. All nominating materials must be received by September 24, 2018.

The Awards Committee will receive nominations and report its recommendations to the Board of Trustees in the fall. The committee may either approve or decline to approve and nomination. If a nomination is declined, it will not be forwarded to the Board of Trustees.

Nominations for the MACC designation are now being accepted. All materials are due by September, 24, 2018.

The award recognizes and honors a limited number of FACCs, who have consistently contributed to the goals and programs of the College and who have provided leadership in important College activities. No more than four Master designations will be awarded each year. One of these four awards recognizes the contributions of the current year's outgoing president of the College. As many as three other Master designations may result from the nomination process.

Qualifications of Nominees for MACC Designation

Nominees for the Master designation will have been Fellows of the College in good standing for more than fifteen years. Dedicated service to the College over time is the primary and necessary distinguishing characteristic of nominees for the Master designation. The nominees will have served with distinction and provided leadership on College programs and committees and may have served as trustees or governors. Excellence in education, clinical practice and scholarship will be important supporting characteristics.

Nominations Process
Current and past members of the Board of Trustees, past presidents and officers are invited to individually nominate candidates to receive the MACC designation. Each nomination should be in the form of a letter addressed to the Awards Committee that clearly sets forth the rationale for the nomination.

The following supporting materials should accompany each letter of nomination:

One seconding letter from another member of one of the groups invited to make nominations;

A complete listing of the nominee's College committee activities obtained from the ACC (This list can be obtained from Kristin Robertson in the Business Operations Department at kroberts@acc.org); and

The nominee's curriculum vitae.

The Awards Committee will receive nominations and report its recommendations to the Board of Trustees in the fall. The committee may either approve or decline to approve any nomination. If a nomination is declined, it will not be forwarded to the Board of Trustees. Awards Committee members may not submit nominations, nor are they eligible to receive the MACC designation while serving on the committee.

Individuals receiving the MACC designation will be formally recognized during the College's Annual Convocation Ceremony in 2019.

Please send materials by September 24, 2018 via email to kroberts@acc.org (preferable) or by mail to:

Established in 2005, the Douglas P. Zipes Distinguished Young Scientist Award recognizes young physician scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the field of cardiovascular disease and who have amassed an impressive body of scientific research in either the basic or clinical domains.

Offered annually, the program differs from other ACC distinguished awards in the following areas:

Nominations will be invited from both the membership and from the wider national/international community;

The recipient will need not necessarily be an ACC member at the time of nomination; and

The awardee may not be widely known.

The recipient must be no more than 12 years removed from receipt of first doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution or comparable international training program.

One awardee will be selected each year. The award recipient will be invited to present his or her scientific work at the ACC Annual Scientific Sessions. He or she will also be recognized at the Annual Convocation Ceremony and receive a monetary prize of $1,000. Travel, housing and registration expenses to attend the Scientific Sessions will also be provided.